Police Confirm ECW Wrestler Rockin’ Rebel’s Death a Murder-Suicide

Police released a statement on Sunday regarding the death of former ECW wrestler Chuck Williams (known as Rockin’ Rebel) and his wife.

The two were found dead in the living room of their home in Chester County, Pennsylvania on Friday morning. Police initially determined the deaths to be a murder-suicide, and were able to confirm it upon further investigation.

“The decedents were a married couple in their fifties named Charles and Stephanie Williams,” the West Goshen Township Police Department wrote in the statement according to Pro Wrestling Sheet. “The Williams family resided at 302 North Five Points Road. Both appear to have died as a result of gunshot wounds that occurred sometime in the overnight hours. Initial indications support that Stephanie Williams was shot by her husband. Charles Williams then fatally shot himself.”

Trained by the Rock ‘n Roll Express, Williams entered the professional wrestling business in 1988. Two years he joined the Philadelphia-based promotion Tri-State Wrestling Alliance, become the promotions first champion. The promotion closed its doors in 1991, but then reopened in 1992 as Eastern Championship Wrestling. Future WWE personality Paul Heyman took over creative control of the promotion in 1993, transforming it into Extreme Championship Wrestling. Willaims stayed with the promotion for another two years while it underwent its change in direction under Heyman’s leadership before leaving in 1995.

He went on to have brief stints in WCW and CZW while also touring Japan, Korea and Puerto Rico. He continued to wrestle sporadically up through 2015.

Williams never held a championship in ECW, though according to PWInsider’s Mike Johnson, Heyman did promise him an ECW World Championship title match at a house show in New Jersey just before a No. 1 contender’s battle royal. The promise turned out to be a practical joke, as everyone in the ring immediately attacked Williams and quick tossed him of the ring.

Wrestling Observer‘s Dave Meltzer confirmed the two bodies were found by Williams’ son.

“The only thing we know is I believe his son, he’s got twins so it’s either his son or both sons found them this morning and the police came and other family members were there,” Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio.

A neighbor of the Williams family told the ABC 6 in Philadelphia that the couple were rarely seen outside the house and police had arrived at the house multiple times.

“”There were always problems over there. The police were there a lot,” the neighbor said.